Development of Hitchcock Stereotactic Device for Intraoperative Open MRI

Abstract

We have introduced an open MRI into the operating room. When taking intraoperative open MR (iMR) images conventionally, since it was impossible to have used a conventional head coil for diagnosis because of need of space, we used to wrap the body coil around the patient' head to get signals. However, the body coil was less sensitive, and wrapping the body coil was very rough. Then we have developed Hitchcock Coil for intraoperative open MRI (iMRI). Hitchcock Coil works not only as more sensitive receiving coil than conventional one, but also as iMRI-guided Hitchcock stereotactic device (Hitchcock device), that is to say Navigation System using markers for iMRI. This time we confirmed that Hitchcock Coil was more excellent than the conventional receiving coil in respect of contrast and space resolution, and Navigation System was acceptable to iMRI-guided stereotactic surgery.